EAST RUTHERFORD — Five NFL head coaches lost their jobs Monday. Tom Coughlin wasn’t one of them.

The oldest coach in the NFL got a vote of approval from co-owner John Mara and general manager Jerry Reese that he will be returning to coach the Giants in 2014 — when he turns 68 years old.

The word from Mara and Reese came after Coughlin addressed his team for the final time following a 20-6 win over Washington Sunday that left the Giants 7-9 in his 10th season, but with a 7-3 record over the final 10 games.

“I expressed to Tom this morning that we do want him back as our head coach,” Mara told the media. “We still have every confidence in him.

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“Beyond that, in terms of his contract and everything else, that’s a discussion for a later date, but we do want him back as our coach in 2014.”

Coughlin wants to be back after saving a sinking season that began with six straight losses.

A big historian, Coughlin began the day using a quote from the late Nelson Mandela.

“Don’t judge me by my successes, but rather by how many times I fell and got back up again,” Coughlin told his team before they cleaned our their locker room which will be used later this month by one of he Super Bowl teams.

“I was proud of this team and the way they finished 7-3 in the final 10 games. But more proud of them for their character, their strength, the way they bonded together as a team, the way they came together in the face of adversity and continued to get up when they were knocked down,” Coughlin continued.

“They were knocked down a number of times, obviously, but this is a very strong group, a group that I was very proud of, proud to be associated with. We didn’t accomplish what we set out to accomplish, to be world champion. We didn’t achieve that, but didn’t stop fighting.

“I do want to coach. We have meetings scheduled, perhaps this week, with ownership and management and we’ll try to evaluate everything at that point. I’m sure there will be many questions asked about going forward, so we’ll talk our way through some of those. I do want to coach.”

“Later this week we’ll sit down with Tom,” said Reese. “Do I want him to come back? Absolutely.”

A more pressing matter is the status of Coughlin’s coaches, especially longtime offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride who was under constant pressure for the team’s problems, which ended with the offense finishing 28th in yards (307.5) and points per game (18.4). The G-Men’s 293 points was the least any Coughlin team ever scored.

Reese would not talk about coaching changes.

“That’s disrespectful to people who have been here a long time and helped us win a lot of games,” said the GM. “Until we talk to the head coach about those things, it’s inappropriate to talk about them.”

“That certainly will all be discussed throughout the week. Everything will be evaluated. I have great confidence in this group we’ve had here as a coaching staff. I believe in them very strongly,” said Coughlin.

What Mara and Reese are unhappy with is the lack of drafted players getting on the field for extended periods in games, and for too many being drafted who can’t earn a spot in the rotation.

“Our offense is broken right now and we need to fix that. We need to make some improvements on defense, too,” said Mara. “Obviously, the offensive side of the ball, we’ve got to improve there. We can’t go into next season with the same personnel.”

Mara said he and Reese haven’t decided if they will suggest coaching changes or let Coughlin handle it.

“I have opinions and Jerry has opinions. I’d like to think that at the end of the day, we’re all going to be on the same page, so I don’t think it would ever come to that,” said Mara.

“That’s obviously one of the main topics of discussion we’re going to have at the end of the week, and until that I don’t want to comment,” Mara said. “There are some changes that need to be made within the entire organization and whether that ends up being one of them or not, I’d rather wait until we have those discussions first.”

“I’ve always been a coach,” said Coughlin. “My feelings are exactly the same as they always have been. Competitive by nature, I want to be the best I can be. The people that surround me I want them to be the very best they can be.

“Everybody wants to know what’s next for me. I hope it’s coaching the Giants,” said Coughlin, who added he’s “young for this profession” considering he didn’t become a head coach until 45.

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about me, my circumstance, and my situation. It’s rather our team. Where we’re going and what direction we’re in.”

That direction for 2014 will be with Tom Coughlin remaining at the helm of the ship.